Man in 20s dies of COVID at home

Victoria has recorded its youngest death in the current coronavirus outbreak after a man aged in his 20s from Melbourne’s north died from COVID-19.

The state’s death toll from the current outbreak climbed to six on Tuesday after the young man from Hume and a Brimbank woman in her 80s died with the virus.

Department of Health deputy secretary Kate Matson told reporters in Melbourne the young man died at home on Monday and ‘‘post-mortem analysis’’ revealed he had died from COVID-19.

The last time the state recorded a death in someone that young was during last year’s second wave, when another man in his 20s died.

Victoria recorded 445 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the latest reporting period, with 129 linked to known outbreaks.

Almost three quarters, or 74 per cent, of the new cases are from Melbourne’s northern suburbs, including 175 from Hume, 64 from Moreland and 36 from Whittlesea.

Shepparton recorded zero new cases for the fifth day running.

The new infections bring the total number of active cases in the state to 3799.

In the 24 hours to Tuesday morning, 42,694 tests were processed and 36,615 Victorians received a vaccine dose at state-run hubs.

Deputy Premier James Merlino has also announced $22 million in additional mental health support for the state, including about $13 million to deliver 20 pop-up community mental health services in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

About 90 dedicated clinicians will provide 93,000 additional hours of wellbeing checks and counselling to Victorians needing support, he said.

A hotline number and a dedicated website will also be created, with another $4 million to provide additional care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

Health Minister Martin Foley said Victoria’s outbreak ‘‘continues to be a pandemic of the young and unvaccinated’’, as 87 per cent of Monday’s cases were aged under 50, with 585 younger than 19.

Eighty-nine per cent of the 157 people fighting COVID-19 in hospital are unvaccinated, while 11 per cent had received one dose.